Temuera Morrison - Details

Biography

TEMUERA MORRISON is a leading New Zealand actor whose breakthrough performance in the acclaimed New Zealand film Once Were Warriors led to several Hollywood roles.

Morrison’s other films include Barb Wire, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Six Days Seven Nights and the From Dusk Till Dawn prequel, The Hangman's Daughter. A New Zealand Maori, Morrison made his acting debut at the age of 12 in Rangi's Catch, a film produced in New Zealand for the U.K. Children's Film Foundation.

For his first film role as an adult, Other Halves (1986), he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor in the New Zealand Film Awards. He was also nominated as Best Actor for his first lead role, in Never Say Die, directed by Geoff Murphy. He starred in Grasscutter, produced in New Zealand by England's Central TV, and played a supporting role in the New Zealand feature film, Mauri. He was the Maori performance adviser for Jane Campion's The Piano.
He won the New Zealand Best Actor award for Once Were Warriors, directed by Lee Tamahori, and again for its sequel, What Became of the Broken Hearted?, directed by Ian Mune. He won the New Zealand Entertainer of the Year award in 1994.
Morrison has also played several lead roles in New Zealand television series, including Gloss, Gold and Shortland Street, for which he became famous in New Zealand as the beloved Dr. Ropata.